Modular stand bag for golf clubs

ABSTRACT

These inventions provide for golf bags, in particular stand type golf bags used in game play are arranged with modular components. These components can be easily switched by a golfer whereby the component may be replace with one having an alternative function or style. In addition, components subject to damage may be quickly and easily replaced with new components. Golf bags are configured with special fasteners which allow parts to be removably affixed to the bag for the switchable components. Standard materials and fasteners might be used elsewhere on the bag. Golf bag components which are arranged to be changeable include at least: the stand element, a back pad, shoulder straps and shoulder moulds, and pockets. Kits comprising an upgrade theme are also arranged to cooperate with these bags and to be sold as stand alone products in support of extended uses of the bags.

BACKGROUND OF THESE INVENTIONS

1. Field

The following inventions disclosure is generally concerned withcontainers for sporting equipment and associated accessories and morespecifically concerned with stand bags for carrying golf clubs on thecourse during play.

2. Prior Art

The notion of interchanging parts of an article to realize addedfunction is not precisely new. Indeed in the clothing industry, there isopportunity for changing parts to form an altered whole and therebyachieve a new look or function. Similarly, personal telephones now comewith kits to redress the appearance at the user's pleasure. At present,one major automobile manufacture is considering a vehicle which haschangeable components which may be applied to a common chassis to changea ‘car’ into a ‘truck’. Thus, both the look and function may change as aresult of changing various component parts of an article.

With further regard to clothing, a few examples are suggested asfollows. Some outer layer jackets have been configured with removablesleeves. In warmer weather, the top portion of the sleeve unzips fromthe shoulder and the sleeves may be stored. In this way, a jacket may betransformed into a vest type garment. In another similar example, theinterior layer of a multi-layer jacket can be removed. The lining of aski jacket can be removed to reduce the extent of the insulation. Inthis way, a single jacket can be used in various weather conditions.Thus, the function of an article of clothing is changed in accordancewith removable components.

The popularity of mobile telephones leads to a desire to personalize thedevices. Some like to express a certain look and style. Therefore, phonemanufactures have created a body portion with a face portion which maybe snapped into place but easily removed. Customers may purchase as anaftermarket accessory a new face portion with special indicia anddesigns. While the design may be pleasing for some time, the noveltytends to fade. After one design is no longer appreciated, the phone usercan easily change the look and style of the phone without buying a newphone. Accordingly, the fashion of an article may be changed inaccordance with removable components which may be switched and combinedwith a base or body portion.

Although some devices and articles have been designed with componentswhich may be switched with others, there remains apparatus where thishas not been attempted and remains completely unknown. For example, whenone purchases a suitcase, it comes fully and permanently assembled.There is no opportunity to change the color nor the look, so the buyerselects carefully, a black bag.

A major problem with common golf bags in use today is that these bagsare subject to very rough use. Parts of the bag tend to break despitebeing made from the most durable materials available. In this case, agolfer must send the bag, for example to the manufacture, for repair.When the bag is in its normal service period, these repairs aregenerally warranty repairs paid for by the manufacture. Since a golf bagis quite large it is problematic when having to return ship a bag to amanufacturer for service. Not only does the golfer find it cumbersome topack, the shipping company may charge for excessively large sizedobjects like a golf bag, Further, the shipping and repair time issometimes quite long. A golfer may expect to be without the service ofhis bag for several weeks. Accordingly, it is very expensive for boththe manufacture and the golfer to have a bag, or part thereof, break. Itwould be a great benefit to the sport should a solution be found where abroken bag was repaired without large expense and returned to servicewithout long delays. Some of the Objectives of the following disclosureare directed to solutions for these problems.

While the systems and inventions of the art are designed to achieveparticular goals and objectives, some of those being no less thanremarkable, these inventions have limitations. These inventions of theart are not used and cannot be used to realize the advantages andobjectives of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS

Comes now, Jeffrey Herold with inventions of stand type bags for golfclubs with highly modular removable-replaceable components. Stand bagsare used on the golf course for carrying clubs and accessories betweenholes. Stand bags of these inventions include bags with interchangeableparts. In particular, these bags may include pockets which may beswitched to support various carrying capacity. In addition, pockets witha exterior of various colors may be switched to bring about analternative color scheme. The stand portion may be switched in view ofcertain preferences which are different from one player to another, orwith respect to a player, from one day to another. Likewise, a firststrap with a particular size and function may be quickly removed andchanged for another strap which supports a caddy of a different size orpreference. Thus, bags of these inventions are composed of parts whichare easily removed and replaced with others via carefully selected andappropriately arranged fasteners. Special fasteners which allow removaland replacement of these components may include fasteners such as snaps,buckles, ‘Velcro’ type hook and loop fasteners, mechanical interlockingelements, zippers, et cetera. The positioning of these fastener elementsis specially arranged to cooperate with the components to be attached;i.e. the fasteners are placed and arranged with complementary patternsand design so that various different components may be affixed to thebag chassis in the same place with the same fasteners.

It is a primary function of these golf club bags to provideinterchangeability with regard to the components from which it is made.It is a contrast to prior art methods and devices that known systems donot allow for one to change the function and style of a bag afterpurchase; one must carefully chose a bag before purchase which satisfiesa particular need and has a neutral or modestly attractive look. Afundamental difference between golf bags of the instant invention andthose of the art can be found when considering the modular nature andthe interchangeability of their components. Accordingly, stand type bagsfor golf clubs formed of modular components which allow those componentsto be switched and changed without causing the bag to be shipped to aspecialist for long periods of time are first presented herein thisdisclosure as included inventions.

Objectives of the Inventions

It is a primary object of these inventions to provide golf club bags ofa highly modular nature.

It is an object of these inventions to provide golf club bags comprisedof components which may be easily removed.

It is a further object to provide golf club bags which may easily changetheir appearance and style.

It is an object of the invention to provide golf club bags which supporta highly advanced and sophisticated special warranty service.

A better understanding can be had with reference to detailed descriptionof preferred embodiments and with reference to appended drawings.Embodiments presented are particular ways to realize these inventionsand are not inclusive of all ways possible. Therefore, there may existembodiments that do not deviate from the spirit and scope of thisdisclosure as set forth by the claims, but do not appear here asspecific examples. It will be appreciated that a great plurality ofalternative versions are possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims and drawings where:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a preferred version of a golf bag inagreement with this disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a fully assembled modular golf bag of theseinventions;

FIG. 3 is another exploded view where alternative components aresuggested;

FIG. 4 illustrates a chassis component with fasteners arranged toreceive pocket components;

FIG. 5 shows a detail of a removable pocket being affixed to a specialgolf bag chassis;

FIG. 6 is an example of a removable stud fastener useful to removablycouple some components; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a golfer using one custom configuration of the bag.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTIONS

In accordance with each of the preferred embodiments of theseinventions, there is provided golf club stand bags having modularcomponents. It will be appreciated that each of these embodimentsdescribed include both apparatus and kits and that the apparatus and kitof one preferred embodiment may be different than the apparatus and kitof another separate embodiment.

Golf bags having modular removable components provide great advantagesto the golfer most importantly, but also to the retailer and to themanufacturer. Although the mechanical differences taught here may seemslight to some, the difference these differences make is considerableand not less than remarkable. This can be fully appreciated inconsideration of the following three sections.

Golfer Selectable Configuration

Generally, when a golfer selects a golf bag for purchase he considerspersonal preferences with regard to type of play, desired capacity,design style, among others. Where conflicts arise, compromise is theonly solution. While sometimes a very large deluxe bag is desirable,other times a lightweight brief bag is preferred. In the past, it hasbeen impossible to serve both of these conflicting needs. Similarly, abag having a plush padded dual shoulder strap does not have a singleshoulder strap and it may be difficult to carry a dual strap over asingle shoulder because the balance is not correct. Where one wishes fora bag having both functions, standard bags fail. Compromise becomes theonly solution for such conflicts as a single golf bag cannot addressthese mutually exclusive properties. Thus, a golfer struggles to findthe perfect stand bag which serves all occasions.

Golf bags of these inventions are designed to be reconfigured at will.On one day the bag may be dressed to a full capacity whereby loads ofaccessories and support equipment may be carried. Other days the bag maybe striped of components to form the most brief and lightweight of bags.Other functions may be changed also. For example, a dual shoulder strapmay be switched out for a single shoulder strap. Shoulder moldedelements may be changed in agreement with preferences. Pockets may beswitched for various carrying and storage tasks. One set of pocketsmight well serve the task of compartmenting and protecting individualsmall items, while another might be an unusual shape to hold specialobjects like an elongated pocket for an umbrella. A back pad may beremovably affixed to a bag chassis whereby it can be removed and changedfor a different back pad with a preferred characteristic. A premiumquality lightweight stand made of graphite might be changed for astandard aluminum stand. Alternatively, a heavy duty stand might beemployed instead where anticipated loads are large.

Configuration is not limited to functional considerations, but ratheralso include design and aesthetic attributes. While golf bags are knownto have attractive and splashy color schema, these schema can becomeless attractive with age and less undesirable thereby reducing theoverall utility of the bag. Bags of these inventions support a change ofcolor scheme. Simple exchange of pockets and other components with newcolors creates a new look which can make an aged bag feel new and fresh.As fashion trends change in time, bags which support changes in colorschema without replacement of the entire bag will be quite attractive togolfers who do not want to buy a new bag every season to maintain thefashion trend.

Warranty Service

A major problem arises in the normal use of golf bags. These bags aresubject to very rough use and even abuse. Golf bags, even those of thehighest quality, sometimes suffer damage or breakage. In these cases,the bags must be sent for repair. However, handling such large bags isquite expensive and cumbersome. Shipping for oversized items is not onlyexpensive, but also time consuming Thus, the long time from which thebag is kept out of service is a great inconvenience to the golfer. Sincea manufacturer tends to warranty a bag, the repairs and shipping aregenerally paid for by the manufacturer. A tremendous operating expensefor golf club manufacturers includes the expense associated withwarranty repair, in particular, shipping expense. For these reasonsamong others, it is desirable to provide alternatives and solutions.

To more clearly illustrate this, the following example is provided. Ifthe seam of a pocket which is sewn to a bag catches on a sharp objectand begins to tear, the entire 20 pound bag is shipped to themanufacture for repair. In bags having removable pockets, only thepocket is shipped. A pocket may only weigh a small fraction of onepound.

Further, and more importantly, bags of these inventions allows ‘forward’warranty service. A customer complaining of a tom pocket can call torequest repair. In response, a entirely new pocket can be immediatelyovernight shipped to the customer. The torn pocket can be returned tothe manufacture at the convenience of the golfer. Thus, a golfer rarelyhas to go a single day without the complete service of his golf bag.This is absolutely not possible with golf bags in service today.

Retail Inventory

Sophisticated retailers are forever mindful of inventory excess. It isimportant to maintain a stock of items which move frequently. A itemwhich sits on a showroom floor for too long a period costs the retailerin alternatives. To illustrate, one might imagine an item of aparticular color which is not very popular. The entire wholesale cost ofthe item is tied up as inventory expense. For a golf bag, this may beseveral hundred dollars. Thus a retailer would be reluctant to allocateseveral hundred dollars to keep in stock a golf bag having a zebrastripe color scheme. Golf bags having a zebra stripe color scheme arequite novel but unlikely to sell fast and in great numbers.

However, a retailer might be inclined to stock a pocket kit having azebra stripe color scheme as the pocket kit may only have a wholesalecost of a few tens of dollars. That pocket kit could then be purchasedand affixed by the golfer to a special bag having appropriately arrangedfasteners in view of the pocket kit configurations. Thus a very specialpocket kit could be arranged to cooperate with a bag chassis viapredetermined arrangement of special removable fasteners.

If a retailer stocks a modest amount of golf club bag chassis, say forexample ten, and stocks fifty pocket kits with various color schemes,the retailer has effectively stocked fifty different golf bags at agreat reduction in inventory expense. Presently, pro shops wanting tostock bags of fifty different color schema are necessarily required topurchase fifty entire bags at great expense.

These objectives and others which will become clear in view of thisentire presentation are met by the arrangements of golf bags described.

Golf club and accessory bags of these inventions are quite unique inthat they are highly modular with modules or components being easilyinterchangeable. The interchangeable functionality of these golf bagscan be executed without special skill or tools and is therefore operableby common users of these bags. These golf bags are comprised of aplurality of components configured for quick and easy change withoutexpertise or complex machine tools.

In general, stand bags are used on the golf course for carrying clubsbetween holes. Typically, a stand bag is carried over the shoulder orshoulders while the bag is used about the golf course. When removed fromthe shoulder and set to the ground, a tripod stand automatically deploysto hold the bag in an upright position with the clubs easily accessibleas they present from the top.

To support concepts relating to golfer selectable configurations,improved warranty service, and reduced retailer inventory expense thegolf bags of these inventions have been created and devised. Thefollowing description in connection with the drawing figures will enablepersons interested to fully realize the inventions. In particular, withreference to FIG. 1 which is an exploded view of a golf bag and severalexample components. The chassis of the bag is comprised of a cylindricalmember 1 preferably made of a rigid material which holds its shape andis quite rugged. To the chassis, a bottom member is affixed. Thisfixture is preferably a permanent fixture created with a fastener likeglue, sewing or rivets. This is because the bottom is not considered aswitchable component. A good bottom design is sufficient for nearly alltypes of bags and there is little need to replace a bottom element. Anattachment facility 3 may also be permanently affixed to the bag chassismember. This device supports fastening means such as snaps or velcro inexample in a predetermined arrangement. In preferred versions, it maybest be described as a nylon flap with snaps and velcro at its peripherywith the velcro on the underside; i.e. the side of the nylon which isclosest to the chassis. The attachment facility may be glued or sewn orriveted to the chassis on a vertical line at its longitudinal symmetryaxis. A pocket 4 may be permanently affixed atop thereof the attachmentfacility. Although most pockets are removable and changeable, apermanent pocket is useful in some versions of these inventions which donot exclude where one or more of the pockets are permanently affixed toa portion of the bag.

A special member for helping to ergonomically couple the bag to a user'sback while worn at the shoulders is a back pad 5. The pad may be amolded foam material with a prescribed shape and size. It may be coupledto the bag chassis via strong stud elements (detail description follows)at its backside (not shown). Holes drilled or punched into and throughthe chassis can accommodate such studs whereby the back pad is verysecurely affixed but remains optionally removable by way of theremovable studs. Padded shoulder strap elements 6 come in various forms.These may include very think plush pads of circular cross section or maybe simple nylon webbing material. Choice of any particular padconfiguration may be quite different from one person to the next. It istherefore a major part of these inventions that this portion of thestrap be easily and readily changeable with alternative forms of paddedshoulder straps.

The shoulder straps may be further improved by shoulder mold elements 7.These elements better and more ergonomically couple the padded shoulderstraps to the shoulders. As the shoulders of various persons are highlyvariable in shape and size from one person to another, these shouldermolds are made to be easily coupled to the shoulder straps whereby theyare removable and replaceable with custom shoulder molds particular to acertain golfer. Thus a golfer may choose the precise nature of theshoulder mold without having to change all the other elements of herbag.

Padded shoulder strap elements are further coupled to the bag chassis byway of both bag straps 8 and wishbone strap 9. The bag straps andwishbone strap are preferably connected and affixed to the paddedshoulder straps with two piece buckles 1O forming a mechanicalinterlock. These are generally male and female cooperating elements. Byway of simple operation of the removable fasteners, one can replaceseparate elements of the strap system. It is not necessary to replacethe entire strap as it is the case in other systems where permanentnon-removable fixtures and fasteners such as glue are used.

When a golf club stand bag is set to the turf, a mechanism at the bottomoperates to deploy a stand. Basically, two legs 11 extend away from thelongitudinal axis of the bag and form two parts of a tripod stand. Thethird part of the tripod stand is the bag itself. While aluminum isgenerally a satisfactory material for stand legs, some persons preferdifferent arrangements. Players who use bags of very high capacity mightnot be satisfied with the strength of aluminum legs and would prefersomething which offers a bit more stability. For example, legs made ofcarbon fiber are lightweight and very rigid. Although they are moreexpensive, they are quite useful in configurations which some golfersdemand. In bags where the legs are not removable and changeable, onemust buy the rest of the bag configuration which comes with the leg setdesired. In bags of these inventions, a user selects any of theparticular leg options and combines those with options of othercomponents.

One of the most interesting features of these inventions is realized viapockets 12 which may be replaced and changed with compatible pockets. Inparticular, preferred bags of these inventions combine an entirely blackchassis with colored pockets to form a nice color scheme. By merelychanging the colored pockets with pockets of another color, oneeffectively changes the color of his golf bag without having to buy anew bag. This is very attractive to tournament promoters who might liketo issue special tournament pockets. While the special pockets are nicefor day-of-the-event promotions, the tournament color scheme might notbe as appealing at a later date. The tournament pockets could then beremoved, replaced with a neutral color scheme which is attractive to thegolfer but doesn't reflect dated material or insignia.

In preferred versions, the pockets are attached to the bag withfasteners which allow the pockets to be removably affixed. In bestversions, the male portion of snaps 13 are attached a top strip portionof the pocket. The stripe does not interfere with use of the pocket asaccess to the pocket interior is made through zipper openings at thesides of the pocket. A flap attachment facility permanently affixed tothe bag chassis exterior forms a cooperating portion of the entirefixture. Female portions of snaps 14 are mounted within a flap of clothmaterial such as nylon which forms the flap. The top strip of the pocketcan be slipped under the flap and snapped thereto. In addition, forextra security and neatness, the flap and pocket may also incorporate acommon area to which two cooperating hook and loop fasteners arearranged.

It is not only the case that a pocket may be removably affixed to thebag chassis, but some pockets are arranged to be removably affixed toother pockets. A piggy-back arrangement is useful for a special functionpocket Pocket 15 is sometimes used as a ‘nutrition pocket’. A food pouchcontaining sports quality nutrition supplements can be kept in thisspecial pocket. The pocket ‘piggy-backs’ to another pocket by way ofsnaps 16, and complementary and cooperating snaps 17. Similarly, themain pocket has cooperating fasteners 18 which affix the assembly to thebag chassis at fasteners 19. The fasteners are arranged in apredetermined pattern and cooperating elements are arranged to fit intothat interface. Although the piggy back pocket is very useful for somepeople, others prefer a different sort of pocket at this location whichcan easily be accessed while the bag is worn with a double shoulderstrap. More details in this regard can be appreciated in further view ofFIG. 7 described in sections herefollowing.

When the parts of FIG. 1 are all nicely assembled together, the bagnearly looks like one of permanent integration. Cosmetically, the bagsare similar. However, one can surely now appreciate the advancefunctionality offered by the bags of the invention. FIG. 2 is providedto show how the bag of FIG. 1 looks when it is all assembled. Bagchassis 21 has a bottom end 22 and leg stand 23. Padded shoulder straps24 are wrapped by molded shoulder elements 25. The shoulder straps areconnected to the bag by bag straps 26. Colored pockets 27 are attachedto the bag by way of attachment facilities 28 which each include a flap,snaps and velcro. A nutrition pocket 29 is attached to a special pockethaving thereon another pocket attachment facility.

FIG. 3 is quite similar to FIG. 1; bag chassis 31 with bottom 32, strapsystem 33, and legs 34. However, FIG. 3 includes a very specialelongated pocket 35. This illustrates how various components need onlybe designed with respect to the attachment facility, including snappairs 36 and 37, in order that they cooperate with the affixing means.One could use the prescribed snap and velcro pattern to enable a greatplurality of pocket or other accessories of various forms to be coupledto the bag. There is no practical limit to the items which may befastened to such a golf bag.

FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred version of a bag chassis 41. The materialis a black nylon. Black is chosen because it is a complement of everycolor. When pockets of virtually any color are affixed to the chassis,the combination results in a very attractive look. Bag stand system 42in a deployed mode shows how the bag sets when put to the turf bagbottom down. The light duty stand might be replaced with a heavy dutyimproved stand as it is removably attached to the bag chassis viafasteners which can be operated without special tools or skills.Attachment facility 43 includes a flap of nylon material with snaps andhook and loop type fasteners. Receiving space 44 is arranged toaccompany a pocket top strip therein such that the pocket may be affixedto the flap.

A more clear and direct view is expressed as FIG. 5. Bag chassis 51supports removable pockets 52 by way of fastening means including hookand loop strips 53 and snap 54 at the pocket top strip. These fastenershave complementary parts 55 and 56 on the attachment facility affixed tothe bag chassis.

As mentioned previously, the back pad is strongly affixed to the bagchassis by way of a removable stud. FIG. 6A and 6B illustrate operationof a removable stud which can be used to affix a back pad to a bagchassis. The stud may have a head 61 or may alternatively be directlyintegrated with a back pad. Two bendable clasp elements 62 form amechanical interlock 63 when placed through a hole in a bag chassis 64.Should one desire a new configuration for a back pad, the stud ismanipulated such that it can be removed from the chassis. The clasps aresqueezed together with pressure 65 such that their keeper ends 66 nolonger interlock the hole in the chassis 67 thereby releasing the backpad 68 in the direction 69. A new back pad with appropriately placedstuds can be snapped into its place on the golf bag.

FIG. 7 illustrates a golf bag in use. Clearly the golfer 71 is quitehappy to have such a handsome and highly functional stand bag 72. Thegolf clubs 73 are nicely held because the correct configuration of backpad (not visible), dual shoulder strap system 74, and pocket set isattached to the bag chassis. Special compartment pocket 76 which iseasily accessible while the bag is worn is one of many pocket typeswhich may be affixed into that place on the lower end of the bag. Thatpocket might be replaced with an alternative pocket thus changing theappearance and function of the golf bag.

The following sections include more precise descriptions of the variouscomponents and fasteners useful in highly modular golf bags havinginterchangeable components.

Components

The components of the bag may include but are not limited to chassis,foot or bottom, club divider, retractable tripod stand, pockets andpouches, back pad, attachment facilities, and a shoulder carrying strap.Of these components, preferred versions of the inventions provide forthe tripod stand, pockets, back pad, and shoulder strap in particular tobe changeable-replaceable components affixed to the bag via fastenerswhich permit decoupling without destroying the fastener. In preferredversions, the bottom, the club divider, attachment facilities; andsometime at least one pocket, are components which may be permanentlyaffixed to the chassis with fasteners such as glue, sewing, rivets, etcetera.

Fasteners

Fasteners include those operable by golfers without complex tools orspecial skills including: hook and loop type strips sometimes known asvelcro, snaps, mechanical interlocking buckles, zippers, removablestuds, quarter-turn Allen screw interlocks, among others. Thesefasteners may be undone and redone without special tools or knowledge.They usually involve a mating pair of mechanical interlocking elements.These fasteners are herein called ‘removable’ and ‘easily removable’. By‘easily removable’, it is meant that no special or complex tools orprocedures are required to remove an article from its fixture and thatthe fastener is not destroyed in the process of removing. Further, thefastener remains operable such that the component or another componenthaving appropriately placed and cooperating fasteners can be reattached.

Common fasteners used on most golf bags of the art which are notappropriate in arrangements of these inventions include: sewing, gluing,riveting, welding, as these fasteners cannot be removed withoutdestroying the fastener thereby preventing reconnection of bagcomponents held by these fasteners. These fasteners may be characterizedin that they are not generally comprised of a mating pair. In addition,these fasteners require special tools and skills to rebuild. Thesefasteners might sometimes be called permanent fasteners.

One can more fully appreciate details and advantages of these inventionsin consideration of the following discussion directed to componentchanges undertaken to realize alternative function and style.

Function

Golf bags presented herein support various function and form easilychanged from time-to-time on the user's whim.

Shoulder Strap

For example, a shoulder strap system may be configured in many ways tosupport various function. One shoulder strap systems might be arrangedand balanced with respect to the connection points to support singleshoulder operation. Conversely, a shoulder strap system may be balancedand configured for a dual shoulder carrying process. Another strapsystem might be configured with swivel elements in the strap chain toprovide for a rolling function whereby the straps are more easily putonto the shoulders by rolling up the arm. A shoulder strap system may bemade with the objective of being very light in weight with theunderstanding that it is sufficient for reduced loading. Another mightbe well suited for very heavy loads. These functions each are associatedwith various strap configurations. One strap may be changed for anotherwhen it is desired that the bag serve a different function.

Pocket

Pockets and pocket sets are also provided to address various possiblefunctional objectives. The pocket set shown in FIG. 7 is ideal forgolfer who find compartment type pockets useful. One pocket for a waterbottle, one for cell phone, one for PDA and another each for golf tees,gloves, hat and glasses is possible.

Alternatively, a different pocket set is good for different function. Alarge pocket with a small pocket piggy back as shown in FIG. 1 is a veryuseful combination to serve specific purpose.

Pockets might take a special shape to accommodate certain odd shapeditems and still be affixed at an attachment facility as shown and taughtin this disclosure. For example, an umbrella might occupy a very longnarrow pocket which runs a substantial length of the bag. Pockets canbe.securely closed or conversely an open top pouch style for easyaccess. The precise combination of pockets chosen by the particulargolfer is highly variable from one to another. It would be highlyunlikely that the precise combination of pockets desired by any onegolfer would be found on a standard bag available at a pro shop. Withbags of these inventions, not only is the precise configuration of thebag available, but changeable. If a golfers desires change in time, socan the bag change to accommodate.

Stand

Some stands are suitable for most bags however some golfers might choosealternative stand configurations. A stand of very high quality which islightweight yet supports large loads might be excessively expensive foruse as standard equipment. Therefore, a upgrade stand might be a bagadd-on component which a golfer would like to change when customizing abag for a personal preference. Stand legs may also be made shorter orlonger to change the tripod orientation and stability in agreement withpersonal preferences. In this way, the stand component of bags of theseinventions are changeable by way of special fasteners.

Chassis

The chassis might also be considered changeable component as well.

Although it forms the primary structural member of a bag, it can bereplaced and all the other components fastened to a new chassis tosupport certain function. When a certain complex coarse or match,perhaps a big travel weekend, calls for a full load of clubs andaccessories some chassis are not large enough. Therefore, the chassismay be provide in several sizes. In this way, the chassis may bereplaced to address capacity needs.

Style

The bags presented herein support various looks and style easily changedfrom time-to-time on the user's desire. Where common golf bags arepurchased with a particular look and feel, i.e. one made of dark bluenylon, that bag is necessarily blue throughout its practical lifetime.Barring fading or radical procedures such as dying or bleaching, the bagremains a dark blue bag. To get a new style, a golfer must purchase anew bag.

One of the most useful features of the bags of these inventions is thewonderful benefit of style changes. These style changes may be broughtabout via pocket kits packaged and sold separately.

Pocket Color Kit

Although leopard skin designs are highly attractive and fashionable, itwould be quite boring to have a leopard skin design everyday. Somestyles are best used once-in-a-while but are not really so nice as‘everyday designs’. Thus, some fashion conscience golfers might like topurchase kits of color matching pockets and accessories. With only onegolf bag and several pocket color kits, one can give the impression ofplaying with a different bag each day.

Pocket Theme Kit

As mentioned, a tournament pocket kit might be given away in promotionalefforts by a tournament promoter or equipment manufacturer. While it maybe prohibitively expensive to provide tournament bags at all but themost prestigious events, the greatly reduced expense of issuing a pocketkit for certain themes makes the bags of these inventions wonderfultools in support of promotional efforts.

Kits may also support function changes as well. It is possible to devisean ‘over capacity kit’ including large heavy duty pockets, oversizeddual shoulder strap, thick and rugged stand system, et cetera.Similarly, a lightweight kit might have bag components all in briefversions appropriate for light duty service. A standard bag could be theplayers default service equipment while on light days where play doesnot require a full complement of accessories, the lightweight kit ofcomponents could be affixed to the bag to make the bag more appropriatefor the type of use anticipated.

Some of the examples above are directed to specific embodiments whichillustrate preferred versions of devices and methods of the invention.In the interests of completeness, a more general description of devicesand the elements of which they are comprised is presented herefollowing.

One will now fully appreciate how the elements and components of a golfclub bag may be changed and replaced to realize new function and style.Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith clear and concise language and with reference to certain preferredversions thereof including the best mode anticipated by the inventor,other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of theinvention should not be limited by the description of the preferredversions contained therein, but rather by the claims appended hereto.

1. A modular golf club and golf accessory bag comprising: a chassis; atleast one attachment facility; at least one pocket or pouch; and ashoulder strap system, said chassis being a cylindrical member having aclosed bottom and open top; said at least one pocket or pouch beingdisposed on the exterior of the bag chassis removably affixed thereto,said shoulder strap system being disposed on the exterior of the bagchassis removably affixed thereto.
 2. A modular golf club and golfaccessory bag of claim 1, said attachment facility further comprisingfasteners to removably couple said pockets and said shoulder strapsystem having mating fasteners.
 3. A modular golf club and golfaccessory bag of claim 2, said fasteners are from the group of fastenersincluding: hook and loop fasteners, snaps, buckles, clips, removablestuds, and mechanical interlocking mechanisms.
 4. A modular golf cluband golf accessory bag of claim 2, said shoulder strap system is furthercomprised of a wishbone strap configuration and two bag straps, twoshoulder pad elements each being removable from the wishbone strap andthe bag straps by way of mating buckle fasteners.
 5. A modular golf cluband golf accessory bag of claim 4, said shoulder strap system further iscomprised of removable shoulder molds elements which wrap about saidpadded shoulder strap elements and provide an ergonomic fit to the humanshoulder.
 6. A modular golf club and golf accessory bag of claim 4, saidtwo bag straps and wishbone strap form a three point attachment withrespect to said chassis whereby either of said two bag straps orwishbone strap may be replaced by a similar strap.
 7. A modular golfclub and golf accessory bag of claim 5, said shoulder padded shoulderstrap elements being changeable by way of a mating pair of bucklefasteners.
 8. A modular golf club and golf accessory bag of claim 1,further comprising a stand system, said stand system being removablyaffixed to the bag by way of mechanical interlocking fasteners wherebysaid stand may be removed from and replaced to said chassis withoutdamaging the fasteners.
 9. A modular golf club and golf accessory bag ofclaim 8, said stand system comprise at least two legs, each leg of thestand system being separately removable and replaceable via fastenerswhich may be operated without tools.
 10. A modular golf club and golfaccessory bag of claim 1, further comprising a back pad, said back padbeing removably affixed to the chassis by way of mechanical interlockingfasteners whereby said back pad may be removed from and replaced to saidchassis without damage to the fasteners.
 11. A modular golf club andgolf accessory bag of claim 10, said back pad being a molded foamelement on a first side of a plastic back featuring stud fastenersintegrated therewith on the other side of the plastic back.
 12. Amodular golf club and golf accessory bag of claim 1, said at least onepocket includes a pocket with a colored exterior surface.
 13. A modulargolf club and golf accessory bag of claim 1, said at least oneattachment facility includes a system permanently affixed to a bagchassis comprising flap members with a combination of snaps and hook andloop type fasteners in a predetermined arrangement.
 14. A modular golfclub and golf accessory bag of claim 13, said at least one pocket has atop strip with mating fasteners arranged to cooperate with the fastenersof said attachment facility.
 15. A modular golf club and golf accessorybag of claim 13, said attachment facility extends along a longitudinaldirection of the bag on one side substantially the full extent of thebag and on the other side a partial extent to accommodate back pad inthe remaining portion.
 16. A modular golf club and golf accessory bag ofclaim 1, said at least one pocket includes at least two pockets, a firstpocket having thereon an attachment facility suitable for couple theretoa second pocket to form a piggy-back arrangement.
 17. A kit of golf bagcomponents including a plurality of pockets having colored exteriorsurfaces.
 18. A kit of golf bag components including a plurality ofpockets having exterior surfaces with indicia to reflect a particulartheme or event.
 19. A kit of golf bag components including componentswhich are characterized as oversized and high capacity whereby thecapacity of the bag may be extended by application of the kit to a golfbag.
 20. A kit of golf bag components including components which arecharacterized as brief and lightweight whereby the weight of the bag canbe reduced.